Fact: sewing patterns can be intimidating. Really intimidating. Intimidating to the point that I hardly ever sew anymore because I’m under the impression that anything I would want to make from scratch and then wear would be a hair-pullingly complex and painful process.

To make a long story short, I was very, very wrong.

Erin Arsenault’s Stay-Stitched: Sewing without a pattern and designing as you go is possibly the most approachable sewing how-to book I’ve ever read. It’s also exactly what it says on the box—at no point is a pattern ever used, and since garment pieces are based on your own measurements, everything is designed to fit your specific shape. Arsenault describes it as a “workbook,” and she isn’t kidding. There are spaces for you to fill in with your measurements, and plenty of gridded blank pages for your notes, sketches, and ideas. The book contains instructions for eleven projects, including a simple tote bag, a cute kimono, and wide-leg sailor pants. It also has a list of basic sewing supplies, stitches, and instructions on how to do things such as make your own bias tape, add in pockets, and make facings for neck and arm holes.

Since making a tote bag for the purpose of this review seemed like cheating, I chose to make the “Egyptian Tunic,” a simple A-line skirt with braces. After picking out some cutely creepy Norman Rockwell baby-face print cotton, I set to work on my skirt. It was remarkably easy—all you do is use your measurements to find the waistband width and strap length, and the length and flare of the skirt are up to you. I ended up making my skirt shorter and more fitted at the waist than the book suggested, which was not a problem at all, simply a matter of pinning and re-stitching one of the side seams—and I love the way it turned out.

And that’s the beauty of Stay-Stitched—everything is customizable. All you have to do is re-draw your lines if you don’t like the way something fits or looks. Even if the projects in the book aren’t to your liking, I’m sure you could apply the skills learned in these pages to other clothes-making endeavours. A novice stitcher could learn a lot by starting at the beginning and working their way through. (Just a little note on the projects—the book is very skirt- and dress-heavy, but I’m sure some crafty gentlemen and those who don’t like skirts would appreciate the sailor pants and viking tunic.) I can also see this book being a godsend for anybody who doesn’t fit into standard pattern sizes.

I would highly recommend Stay-Stitched to people who want to learn to make their own clothes but don’t know where to start, or to jaded semi-experienced seamstresses like myself, who just need their faith in their abilities renewed.

Stay-Stitched: Sewing without a pattern and designing as you go, self-published by Erin Arsenault, 2009
reviewed by Kat Brightwell

What I’ve learned in dating, I can apply to vintage purses. Even though it’s beautiful and in tact on the outside, watch out for rotting on the inside. When I picked up this wicker purse at a local Goodwill, it was love at first sight… until I turned the latch and saw the condition of the inner lining. After battling with my gag reflex, I swallowed my hesitations and made the purchase (for $3.49 a deteriorated lining was not a deal breaker). Luckily, I discovered that replacing a purse lining was much easier — not to mention more affordable — than couples counselling.

Step One: Resist hacking away at the lining the second you open the purse with scissors in hand. This step I almost skipped completely, and am sure I would have regretted that decision later in the process. By taking a second to examine the bag’s interior, I was able to see that the lining was attached to the wicker with multiple tacks. With further inspection, I saw that these tacks could all be easily removed, allowing the lining to be removed exactly as is, and for the tacks to be salvaged. Since my scrupulous nature has now been revealed, there is no more need to hide it.

Step Two: Once the lining was removed, I proceeded to ‘break it down’ (MC Hammer, eat your heart out). Separate the seams of the lining so that you have three sections of fabric, or however many parts your lining breaks down into. Pin these to your new fabric and cut around them, leaving an inch or two so you have some room to sew them together.

Step Three:Pin the new fabric together, right sides in. This part of the sewing process always seems like a brain teaser to me. But since it’s a lining, things are a little easier. You won’t be seeing the outside seams, so you want the inside to be the good sides of the fabric and free of waste.

Step Four: Once you’ve sewn all the seams, you can trim them down so there is less bulk. Now you’re ready to fasten the lining to the purse. I lucked out, and was able to use the thumbtacks that had originally been holding the lining in place. Depending on the bag though, you may be forced into some ‘creative thinking’. Might I suggest having a glue gun or needle and thread at hand?

After some last minute tucking and folding more suited to a drag show than my living room, I emerged successful; lining in purse, purse in hand. And now that I know the ease at which I can make a purse’s insides match the beauty of its outer shell, I will never again be discouraged by a pretty saddle bag with a sad interior — though I will proceed with caution at the sight of a pretty boy in saddle shoes.

- Casie Brown

Peter Pan collars are too charming. Maybe it’s because they remind me of my little girl clothes of the past, or even because they are named after a boy who can fly and is friends with fairies. Regardless, I have never been able to walk away with my credit card in tact once I spot one. With tuition and rent bills filling my mailbox, however, I have learned to put down the hanger, and leave the store Peter-Pan-less. My indulgent behaviour in check, I came up with a more practical approach to achieving this darling look. Borrowing tips and tricks from various do-it-yourself guides (and after a few interrogations of my fashion design friends), I came up with my own recipe for adding a little Peter to any garment. Professionals please keep in mind that this is a girl with little garment-making know-how, describing to like-minded folk, the simplest way (in her eyes) to achieve a DIY collar.

Materials: Fabric for collar, interfacing, thread, paper, pencil, fabric scissors, an iron

Step 1: Trace the Neckline of the garment that you wish to Peter-ize. For this I used just a regular blank piece of paper and pencil. I stuck the paper inside the dress and aligned it with the shoulder seams, then I traced away. This will give you the neckline on the front of the dress. Repeat with the back of the dress so that you have the shape of both the front and back. Once you have both front and back necklines, cut and paste them together so that you have an oval-like shape. You now have a starting place!

Step 2: Using your imaginary neckline for size, do a rough sketch of what you want the collar to look like, on another blank sheet of paper. For this part I drew a few different variations, cut each out, and tried them on the dress to see which size I liked best. There is nothing worse then getting to the end stretch and realizing you don’t like the size. Once you have a shape you like, in the words of Joey Gladstone, “Cut it out!”

Step 3: Now is the exciting part, or if you’re like me, the nerve-wracking part. Pin your pattern to the fabric and cut! Okay. Before you do this, take a deep breath and remember one crucial thing: leave a seam allowance (this means leave about an inch or inch and a half of fabric around both the outside and inside of your pattern, so you have a little something to work with). Before removing the paper pattern though, I like to just dot around the pattern itself onto the actual fabric, so that I have a perfect guideline of where I need to be sewing. Repeat this step on both your fabric that you chose for your collar, and the interfacing.

Step 4: So you should have two collar-like pieces in front of you. Pin these two pieces together, with the backside of each fabric facing outwards. This should be fairly simple to figure out with the fabric you chose, but might be a little tricky for the interfacing. The outward side of the interfacing should be a bit shiny. This shine is the glue that will fuse the two fabrics together and give you a stiff collar.

Step 5: Dust off your sewing machine, and sew ONLY the outside edge of your collar. After this is complete, you can trim down the outside seam allowance (be careful!) and then flip the fabric so that it is right side out. Press, press, press and let that glue do it’s job!

Step 6: Your collar should now look a little more like you had imagined. The final step is a tricky one, and I opted for a hand stitch after wrestling with my sewing machine. The outside of the collar should be finished, and you are left with just the inside oval, and the inch of seam allowance that you left of this edge. Because the neckline is curved, you’ll have a hard time trying to sew the collar to the garment as is. What you need to do is cut little slits (or tabs as I will call them) about a half inch apart into the seam allowance, so that your collar can curve with the neck.

Step 7: To make this next step easier, I pressed all of the little tabs that I had cut into the seam allowance to the underside of the collar. Now, it should be like you can just hook the collar on top of the neck of your garment. Pin the little tabs in place, on the inside of the garment, so that the outside part of the collar sits flat. Once pinned, sew along the inside of the garment, on top of your little tabs. I’m not sure this is the most aesthetically pleasing way to affix the collar, but it did the job for me (and I figured no one would be seeing the inside of the garment anyway). After it is secured, you can trim the tabs so they look a bit more presentable (on the rare occasion they do see the light of day).

Step 8: You can never press enough! Laying the garment flat, press the front and back of the collar, so that it sits nicely in place. Trim a few threads here and there, and you’ve got a collar that will bring Captain Hook out on the prowl.

- Casie Brown

So, I’m sad to be missing the David Livingstone talk at the Bata Shoe Museum on Wednesday, but I’ll be judging Fashion POP. I’m pretty excited for my second year as the Michael Kors of the Montreal fashion crowd. It’s going to be hard to choose from six handpicked up-and-coming fashion designers, each presenting a six-look mini-collection. (See our little preview down below! Who do you want to win?) The winner gets $1000, as well as a $500 gift certificate from Le Château and a feature in our very own publication. The event is free and open to the public, Wednesday, September 30th, 8PM (doors at 7) Espace Reunion (6600 Hutchinson Street). Come early for a good spot!

WORN also has a table at Puces POP Oct. 3rd & 4th, 11am - 7pm at St. Michel Church Hall (105 St-Viateur O). Come say hi!
hearts, Serah-Marie

girlfriend material by Charlotte Eedson
AU COURANT, LADYLIKE, SENSIBLE, REBELLIOUS, ROCKER

If your line were to have a muse, who would it be?
Cat Power!

What fabrics do you like to work with?
Cotton, but I’m a big fan of the planet so I will work with anything sustainable, discarded, etc. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

What tools are you using to make your line?
A sewing machine my parents bought me at Sears, my trusty thread stand and PMA (positive mental attitude)!

How did you learn how to make clothes?
How did I learn to make clothes well? A tailoring course and a teacher named Tonia Weber, bless her heart (and patience!).

Who is your favourite Canadian fashion designer?
That’s a toss-up! Erdem dresses, Jeremy Laing basics, and Dace weekend wear!

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Le Chat Clothing by Flavie Lechat
youth, childishness, monsters, pyjamas, comfort, psychiatry

If your line were to have a muse, who would it be?
Emily Haines (the singer from Metric).

What fabrics do you like to work with?
Mostly silk voile and very light wool. I used to have this huge passion for fleece, but I’m trying to discover other materials and move toward higher qualities of fabrics.

What tools are you using to make your line?
A plain stitch machine and a serger, a mannequin, scissors and needles.

How did you learn how to make clothes?
My mother taught me at the age of eight and I have never stopped since. I don’t think I’ve spent a day without touching my machine since that time.

Who is your favourite Canadian fashion designer?
I love LIFETIME Collective brand from Vancouver!

Betina Lou by Marie-Eve Emond
feminine, pretty, timeless, fitted, chic

If your line were to have a muse, who would it be?
Audrey Hepburn.

What fabrics do you like to work with?
Finding nice fabrics and trimmings is one of my favourite parts! I like to work with natural fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, linen, and blends of these fibres) and sustainable fabrics (organic cotton and bamboo). I prefer solid fabrics, without prints or patterns. I do like some subtle and classic patterns such as stripes, mini-plaid, mini-herringbone, or mini-houndstooth. I try to find fabrics that can last for more than a few weeks (I think it’s worth paying a little bit more for quality).

What tools are you using to make your line?
Even though I have an industrial sewing machine, I still sew most of the time with a Kenmore machine that my grandmother gave me when I was 14 years old. I work closely with my size 2 mannequin dress form. Other than that, I need music, plants, daylight, and my laptop.

How did you learn how to make clothes?
I learned how to sew by hand with scraps of fabric that my grandmother would give me when I was a child. She eventually taught me how to use a sewing machine. I started designing clothes for myself when I was a teenager and tried to make my own patterns. Then, I got a job as an assistant costume maker at age 16. I finally went to LaSalle College and studied fashion design.

Who is your favourite Canadian fashion designer?
Pink Tartan

Contradict by Rachel Chan
futuristic, structure, strong, sleek, flowy

If your line were to have a muse, who would it be?
Lara Stone.

What fabrics do you like to work with?
Silk chiffon, PVC, any jersey, satin, and silk charmeuse.

What tools are you using to make your line?
A sewing machine, an overlock machine, a serger, boning, shoulder pads, and an iron.

How did you learn how to make clothes?
High school and Lasalle College

Who is your favourite Canadian fashion designer?
Travis Taddeo

La Fête by Emily Brunet
graphic, elegant, stark, unisex, recreation

If your line were to have a muse, who would it be?
Cary Tauben.

What fabrics do you like to work with?
All types of silk. Silk is the king of fabrics.

What tools are you using to make your line?
My grandmother’s sewing machine and patience.

How did you learn how to make clothes?
I was living in Spain and this Swiss girl Ophélie taught me the basics. The rest I taught myself.

Who is your favourite Canadian fashion designer?
Denis Gagnon.

Norwegian Wood by Angie Johnson
layered, modern, excessive, edgy, dark

If your line were to have a muse, who would it be?
If Patti Smith actually cared about fashion I like to think she’d wear a few of the things in this collection.

What fabrics do you like to work with?
I actually really enjoy working with almost any fabric, but some of the highlights in this collection are: scalloped lace, double sided jersey, yarn dyed plaid, satin, chiffon, sheer jersey mesh, elastics, and fringe.

What tools are you using to make your line?
My trusty sewing machine, serger, and my own two hands!

How did you learn how to make clothes?
It all started when my mom taught me to embroider at age six, and has never stopped since. I credit most of my ability to my mom, many many books, and lots of practice. I also went to university to study clothing and textiles, but the “learning how to make clothes” part of things was pretty much taken care of before I got there.

Who is your favourite Canadian fashion designer?
Jeremy Laing

So that’s all the ladies - who are you rooting for to win?